I bought a 18 gal. sprayer for my tractor for applying lawn chemicals, primarily fertilizer and weed killer/preventer.
I have never used a liquid application for these tasks.
What products do you expert lawn care pro's recommend?
What precautions do you follow?

I would prefer products that are NOT too aggressive because I have no experience with liquid applications and don't want to do more harm than good.

I live in Chicago and have ( whats left of it) primarily Blue Grass.

Timing of application is critical, and probably not the same for the different application purposes. For example, cool season grasses should not be fed in the Spring when they are trying to grow seed heads, but in the late Summer/early Fall to encourage root growth if the goal is a dense drought-resistant lawn. Weed control needs to be timed for when the target weeds are actively growing, this will be different for broad leaf (dandelions, etc.) and grassy ones (crabgrass et. al.) To control grassy weeds, without harming desirable perennial grasses, a pre-emergent strategy is preferred. It makes absolutely no sense to apply a pre-emergent at the same time as a post-emergent herbicide.

Optimal dates of application will also vary by the particular climate in your locale, as well as weather patterns. Liquid fertilizer can burn grasses if applied without subsequent rain or irrigation. Make sure the liquid fertilixer is sufficiently diluted to help avoid burning, an 18-gal. sprayer will not cover much ground before needing refilling in this application. And, oh yeah, all-in-one products are necessarily a compromise, and unlikely to give as good results as targeted products.

Contact your local extension agent who will be able to provide you a schedule for application of various growth and control agents. To be most effective, prepare and provide a soil sample, and specimens or pictures of the weeds you want to control. If you have any sod farms in your area, it may be worthwhile to seek advice there.

Also important is the genetic quality of the grasses that you want to cultivate. No amount of fertilizer and weed control will turn a ragged mess into golf course quality turf by themselves.

I prefer dry fertilizers and liquid herbicides, so I can't help you with the fertilizer other than to say I've had good results with Lesco product.

For herbicides there is no "one size fits all" answer. Depends upon what weeds you're trying to control.

I use PBI/Gordon SpeedZone (red) for:
Broadleaf
Clover
Creeping Charlie
Prostrate Spurge
Purslane
Wild Violets
Black Medic/Yellow Trefoil/Yellow Clover

Ortho Weed B Gon for:
Broadleaf
Clover
Crabgrass

Syngenta Tenacity for:
Bent Grass
Nimblewill (Nimbleweed)

I add a non-ionic surfactant to them all.

Yes: There's overlap between the SpeedZone and WBG. Essentially, if the clover gets knocked-back by the WBG and I'm not having a problem with the others SZ gets, I'll apply just the WBG. (Main problems are broadleaf and crabgrass.) Otherwise I'll follow-up the WBG with an SZ treatment 2-3 weeks later.

Unless the verkakte crabgrass doesn't submit. Then it's another shot of WBG.

Dandelions and clover are primarily what I fight, and Weed-B-Gone does a good job at that. I do have a few patches of poa annua that I am able to knock down with Tenacity. So far, I've kept it from spreading, and hopefully I can eradicate it, but it's a tough one.

I, too, use a granular fertilizer, but have been tempted to get a sprayer for the 4-wheeler. I would think that a guy could get a much evener application.

I have a 25 gallon sprayer that sits on the back rack of my 4-wheeler; it has a boom that covers a swath about 6 feet wide. I normally apply Weed B Gone or something similar in early May when the dandelions appear.

I've had nicest lawn on the block in both the north (mainly kentucky bluegrass) and the South (St Augustine). Timing is very different for fertilizer due to growth cycles and grass types so you have to be careful not to take southern advice when in the north and vice versa.


Avoid weed-n-feeds as they're a shitty compromise good at neither.

Most big box store fertilizers are either all nitrogen or mostly nitrogen (e.g. 29-0-2). Chicago Botanic gardens and most universities recommend a 3-1-2 ratio (e.g. 15-5-10) or 4-1-2 ratio (e.g. 16-4-8). Simple lawn solutions sells a liquid 16-4-8.

You really need to know your grass type for weed killer or weed prevent application as most have vastly different rates for different grasses.

Why kill weeds when you can prevent most of them? You can buy Prodiamiane 65WDG which is a “water dispersible granule” formulation that you mix in water. In the spring, best applied when soil (not air) is between 55F and 70F. In the fall, best applied when soil drops below 70 but before it hits 55.

My Dad still lives in the Upper Midwest and uses a sprayer towed behind his tractor for his Kentucky Blue Grass lawn. He's had good luck with BioAdvanced Season Long Weed Control For Lawns as it's both a weed preventer and killer.

Getting even coverage with a tow behind sprayer isn't easy and there is a learning curve. One way to make it easier is to add a colored dye to the tank such as Lazer Blue.

I don't have any advice for you, except for where to buy chemicals.

The big box stores sell, to keep competitive low prices with their competitors, weaker strength chemicals. I've bought the cheap stuff before and it was so weak it barely worked. It was a waste of time and money.

Coupled with that is sometimes the waste of time running around trying to find certain chemicals.

Some years ago I found DoMyOwn.com Lawn and Pest Control LINK

I order my lawn and garden, and pest control as well, from them. I've been using them for quite a few years now.

No more wasting time driving all over, I get a better product delivered to my front porch, and a better selection of such.

I get better pest control products, such as bug and ant and creepy crawler and flying insects, etc.

I have been very happy with their lawn, weed control, etc, products.

Best wishes to you.
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